Political Quotes

“my great thanks to the chairman of the Finance Committee for his efforts in bringing this legislation, the Tariff Suspension and Trade Act of 2000, to a successful conclusion. Last November, the World Trade Organization Seattle Ministerial ended in what The Economist magazine labeled a ``global disaster.'' Mr. President, our trade policy of 60 years--first established by Cordell Hull's Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934--was in a crisis. Since then, the Senate has worked hard to put our trade policy back on track. On May 11, 2000, Congress passed the Trade and Development Act of 2000, extending preferential tariff treatment to our friends in Africa and expanding benefits to our neighbors in the Caribbean Basin. Just this week, the President signed into law H.R. 4444, authorizing permanent normal trade relations for China. And today, the Senate has passed--by unanimous consent--our third piece of trade legislation this year, the Tariff Suspension and Trade Act of 2000. There has not been a year in Congress so productive on trade issues since 1988, when we considered the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act and the legislation implementing the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement. H.R. 4868 contains over 150 tariff suspensions and reductions on a wide range of products, 19 reliquidations of prior entries, and 11 technical Customs provisions, including one which provides economic incentives for importers to recycle.”